Nonwoven material formed by nonwoven extrusion processes such as, for example, meltblowing processes and spunbonding processes may be manufactured into products and components of products so inexpensively that the products could be viewed as disposable after only one or a few uses. Representatives of such products include disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers, incontinence garments including briefs and pads, training pants, feminine hygiene garments, and the like.
Infants and other incontinent individuals wear disposable absorbent articles such as diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudates. Absorbent articles function both to contain the discharged materials and to isolate these materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer's garments and bed clothing. Disposable absorbent articles having many different basic designs are generally known.
A typical absorbent article includes a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet joined to the topsheet, and an absorbent core positioned at least partially between the topsheet and the backsheet. Nonwoven materials are often used as the topsheet because they are liquid pervious and provide a skin friendly surface. However, in certain uses nonwoven materials do not function that well as a topsheet as body exudates sometimes hang-up or get caught in the nonwoven materials and thus, become trapped against the wearer's skin. One solution to the aforementioned problem is to provide apertures in the nonwoven material so that body exudates may readily penetrate through the nonwoven material and into the underlying absorbent core.
Unfortunately, certain techniques used to form apertured nonwoven materials are either costly, create undesirable issues with the wearer's skin or are subject to tearing during manufacture or use. While many attempts at solving the aforementioned problems have been attempted, none currently known provide the appropriate combination of cost, skin feel and performance that deliver a truly exceptional consumer experience.
Thus, the need remains for an improved nonwoven material and in particular an improved nonwoven material for use as the topsheet in an absorbent product.